Intriguing, For Kids And Adults
The film stars Josh Hutchinson and AnnaSophia Robb as well as Robert Patrick, who I think will always be remembered as T-1000 from Terminator 2. I kept hoping they would make some kind of reference to that role in this movie, but it admittedly would be out of place. Anyway, Josh plays Jesse Aarons; a good kid with an imagination and a knack for drawing things; he’s also a fast runner. He’s not very well liked at school, and that never really changes throughout the movie. Leslie Burke, played by AnnaSophia, moves close to Jesse’s home and attends his school. She is kind of a unique person who doesn’t really fit in very well but at the same time isn’t bothered by this. The two begin to forge a friendship when they go into a forested area near their homes. Leslie convinces Jesse to open his mind wide open, and be more carefree. Together they imagine a mystical world known as Terabithia. It is here that they develop their bond and both of them benefit from this time together.
It’s a nice plot that is told well. I liked how the Terabithian world and characters were seamlessly integrated with the real world. This made the imagination angle of the story seem very fitting and believable. It’s a very touching tale that I can’t really say much more about without risking giving too much away. I think my overall favorite part about the movie is just how they convey the power of imagination. It truly is one of the best aspects of being a human.
Translation To Blu-ray
On Blu-ray, the film looks good, but not as great as I thought it would. There were plenty of scenes where the faces had that ‘compressed’ look to them. Not that the proportions were off, just that you could see some blocky textures instead of smoother ones. Otherwise the visuals are nice. Audio presentation is on par, nothing bad or really outstanding about it, but it’s overall well done.
In terms of extras, there actually isn’t very much here. There is a fifteen-minute piece that is primarily about how good the book is, featuring a few words from the author and lots from librarians and teachers. Even with the two stars talking about it, it’s really a pointless extra feature. There is a five minute or so extra on bringing the visuals of Terabithia to life, too. This was pretty good; it presented various inspirations and basic behind the scenes footage, but it was very brief. Thirdly there is a music video with AnnaSophia, which is a joke, and then two audio commentary tracks.